Well, on Wednesday morning my cell rang and the owner of the business (read last post) was on the other end acting clueless about the events of the previous week. He was not returning my call although later he did acknowledge it. Weird.
To his credit, within a few hours the two workmen and he were in my yard pulling weeds. The job is finished and is acceptable. I will pay the agreed upon price when he presents me the invoice and I will not whine.
However, going in to this transaction I was a loyal customer of his, quick to recommend his services to others. Now, I am still his customer but will not tie my good name to his thru recommendations.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Trust Your Customer
I always try to analyze things that happen around me, judge if it was a success or failure and see how it might make me better. In that spirit I will tell you about something that is not finished but not going well. You will be able to tell by my tone that this is not a rant.
Hot summer, lots of work and some small surgery have come together to make the flower bed around our house look rather natural. Full of weeds, grass and small trees. It makes it hard to make excuses when the trees are 3 foot high.
We decided to spend some money and have a professional service do the job. I am talking about someone who we have used before and not someone I picked up in the parking lot at Chilly Mart. Real business, real trucks with signs on them. I found it odd that the target day of last Monday came and went without any contact so I called late Monday night and left a message. Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday...silent. I called and was told they would be there Friday
Sure enough, 7:45 AM the owner in a shiny truck with a sign on the side and two workers in a not so shiny truck with a sign on the side are parked in front of my house. The owner apologizes and says they will get this done for me. He is going to go to the warehouse and get the fertilizer and spreader and will be right back. True to his word in 15 minutes he returns with the necessary equipment and things are looking good. Then he leaves.
I hear a cell phone ring in the front yard and the boss worker answers it and walks over to the truck, sits down and talks for 10 -15 minutes. He then returns to the spreader which he is working on so they can use it, but is interrupted by his cell phone. Back to the truck, another long conversation. During this time the junior worker was working away but must have been new to landscaping because he was pulling ground cover and leaving Johnson grass. I tell myself to talk with the owner when he returns about his crew....in the distance a cell phone rings.
About 10 minutes after nine, I notice I haven't heard the cell in a while....as a matter of fact I haven't heard anything. Looking outside, I cannot see even one truck with a sign on the side. I place a call to the owner to see if 9:00AM is standard break time but get his voice mail. I leave a message.
Now, this is a blog on customer service. If I told you it is 10:45 AM on Monday morning and I have not received a return call would you see that as a customer service problem. In looking at this from the customers view, I am left to speculate;
He might have legitimate reasons why he did not show up when he said he would. There might even be a good reason his workers left after only an hour. But there is no good reason not to call me.....unless he died.
Now excuse me...I have to go to Chilly Mart.
Hot summer, lots of work and some small surgery have come together to make the flower bed around our house look rather natural. Full of weeds, grass and small trees. It makes it hard to make excuses when the trees are 3 foot high.
We decided to spend some money and have a professional service do the job. I am talking about someone who we have used before and not someone I picked up in the parking lot at Chilly Mart. Real business, real trucks with signs on them. I found it odd that the target day of last Monday came and went without any contact so I called late Monday night and left a message. Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday...silent. I called and was told they would be there Friday
Sure enough, 7:45 AM the owner in a shiny truck with a sign on the side and two workers in a not so shiny truck with a sign on the side are parked in front of my house. The owner apologizes and says they will get this done for me. He is going to go to the warehouse and get the fertilizer and spreader and will be right back. True to his word in 15 minutes he returns with the necessary equipment and things are looking good. Then he leaves.
I hear a cell phone ring in the front yard and the boss worker answers it and walks over to the truck, sits down and talks for 10 -15 minutes. He then returns to the spreader which he is working on so they can use it, but is interrupted by his cell phone. Back to the truck, another long conversation. During this time the junior worker was working away but must have been new to landscaping because he was pulling ground cover and leaving Johnson grass. I tell myself to talk with the owner when he returns about his crew....in the distance a cell phone rings.
About 10 minutes after nine, I notice I haven't heard the cell in a while....as a matter of fact I haven't heard anything. Looking outside, I cannot see even one truck with a sign on the side. I place a call to the owner to see if 9:00AM is standard break time but get his voice mail. I leave a message.
Now, this is a blog on customer service. If I told you it is 10:45 AM on Monday morning and I have not received a return call would you see that as a customer service problem. In looking at this from the customers view, I am left to speculate;
- Did he die?
- Will he ever return?
- Do I owe him anything for the little work performed?
- Should I call again?
He might have legitimate reasons why he did not show up when he said he would. There might even be a good reason his workers left after only an hour. But there is no good reason not to call me.....unless he died.
Now excuse me...I have to go to Chilly Mart.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Steel Safety Bollards
Mighty Lift has had a great reaction to their new product line. The Mighty Rail is a inplant safety guard rail system designed to protect products, people and performance. The rail profile being stocked in both Houston and Portland is 14.5" which makes it one of the larger and more substantial on the market. The great thing is that thru Mighty Lifts volume buying and corporate position it is being offered to you, the material handling dealer at savings of as much as 30% over other brands. Do not mistake lower cost for lower quality....the Mighty Rail is a brute.
If you get into a very competitive situation and a smaller rail profile is appropriate, then the 10" version might be the ticket. Call your Mighty Lift office or me to discuss it.
Another thing of interest to the dealer looking for value for their customer is our Safety Bollard. 4.5" or 5.5" in diameter and 42" tall, it is available in both .25" wall thickness and .125" wall thickness. The current inventory is the better seller at .125" wall. This allows for more than adequate protection in most applications. If the exposure is to the heavier side, call for a quote.A visit to MightyRail PDF will get you the specs on the line. If you need something not included on the part list, check with us...we are adding to the product line almost daily.
Houston Office (Eastern & Central time zones) (877) 916-7600
Portland Office (Mountain & Pacific time zones) (877) 282-7558
My contact number is (214) 770-3228
Good Selling
Ron
Friday, July 16, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Material Handling Products
I am proud to announce that G21 Business Services is now acting as the business development partner for Mighty Lift Inc. Mighty Lift has fully staffed offices and more importantly, large inventories in Portland, OR and Houston, TX. They also maintain inventories in other strategically located cities. Business to business sellers like material handling houses, forklift houses and commercial door dealers will be interested in the lines offered by Mighty Lift. After all; offering the industrial customers in your market area the finest, most affordable products and then being around to make sure they get ROI is your mission.
Mighty Lift currently has a new website under construction as does G21. Until then most of the product line can be viewed at www.mightylift.com.
G21 will continue to represent Visual App to the same demographic; web services such as website design, SEO, PPC (pay per click)management as well as print design and production services. Visit their site at www.visualapp.com.
Obviously, both of these companies I hold in the highest regard and gladly stake my reputation on their actions. I look forward to working with you. Call me (214)770-3228 or contact me by email RonGilleland@gmail.com. You can also contact either of the above companies directly. Whatever works best for you.....after all....you are the customer.
Mighty Lift currently has a new website under construction as does G21. Until then most of the product line can be viewed at www.mightylift.com.
G21 will continue to represent Visual App to the same demographic; web services such as website design, SEO, PPC (pay per click)management as well as print design and production services. Visit their site at www.visualapp.com.
Obviously, both of these companies I hold in the highest regard and gladly stake my reputation on their actions. I look forward to working with you. Call me (214)770-3228 or contact me by email RonGilleland@gmail.com. You can also contact either of the above companies directly. Whatever works best for you.....after all....you are the customer.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
I Love Southwest Airline
Many of you know me and know that I am a wheelchair user. A T-10 paraplegic. Thru the years I have bowled, played wheelchair basketball, bass fished at the national level, hunted and lately flown private planes. I have no idea how many commercial flights I have been on but over the last 40 plus years (in the material handling business)....many. The first was to Jonesboro for the very first Hytrol sales school conducted by Sam Leone.
I say all of this to shine a spotlight on a level of customer service we should all aspire to...that of Southwest Airlines. I am actually ranting against American Airlines but always try to spin things to the positive. Every good thing I can say about Southwest you can rest assured that American does it the exact opposite. I will spare you the details but I am writing this from Dunn, NC where I am visiting my daughter and her family.
Lee (my wife) and I got here on the flight from Hell with....wait for it.......American Airlines. We purchased the flight three months in advance and checked into the flight two hours before the flight. I am capable of moving from seat to seat with a little help, but spent the pre-flight time listening to the ground crew fight with the customer service crew about who's fault it was that there was no aisle chair at the gate. They argued about it so long that the plane was boarded and they had to put me on at the very end to keep the flight from departing late. They put Lee and I in 32 A & B. For those of you unfamiliar with a MD-80 that is the last two seats...looking out the window on the engine cowling.
The thing that most infuriated Lee was the suggestion by the lady on the DFW based ground crew. If we (the customer) had booked the flight correctly, none of this would have happened.
A pox on your house American Airline. You deserve the losses you suffer and until we (the customer) become your focus you will never make money. I will continue to arrange my travel around the schedule of Southwest...they get it. Their employees will do anything to make my travel enjoyable. I will only fly AA when I cannot get there any other way.
I say all of this to shine a spotlight on a level of customer service we should all aspire to...that of Southwest Airlines. I am actually ranting against American Airlines but always try to spin things to the positive. Every good thing I can say about Southwest you can rest assured that American does it the exact opposite. I will spare you the details but I am writing this from Dunn, NC where I am visiting my daughter and her family.
Lee (my wife) and I got here on the flight from Hell with....wait for it.......American Airlines. We purchased the flight three months in advance and checked into the flight two hours before the flight. I am capable of moving from seat to seat with a little help, but spent the pre-flight time listening to the ground crew fight with the customer service crew about who's fault it was that there was no aisle chair at the gate. They argued about it so long that the plane was boarded and they had to put me on at the very end to keep the flight from departing late. They put Lee and I in 32 A & B. For those of you unfamiliar with a MD-80 that is the last two seats...looking out the window on the engine cowling.
The thing that most infuriated Lee was the suggestion by the lady on the DFW based ground crew. If we (the customer) had booked the flight correctly, none of this would have happened.
A pox on your house American Airline. You deserve the losses you suffer and until we (the customer) become your focus you will never make money. I will continue to arrange my travel around the schedule of Southwest...they get it. Their employees will do anything to make my travel enjoyable. I will only fly AA when I cannot get there any other way.
Free to Succeed Means Free to Fail
In thinking about the Fourth of July and our unique freedom I thought...........
We are created by a God that gives us freedom to choose how to live. We live in a country that allows us the freedom to decide how we conduct our lives. That leads to the title of this very short post. If we do not choose to succeed we are choosing to fail. If we stop trying, stop learning, stop dreaming our lives will become hollow, no matter how much money we have.
Happy Fourth and God Bless America
We are created by a God that gives us freedom to choose how to live. We live in a country that allows us the freedom to decide how we conduct our lives. That leads to the title of this very short post. If we do not choose to succeed we are choosing to fail. If we stop trying, stop learning, stop dreaming our lives will become hollow, no matter how much money we have.
Happy Fourth and God Bless America
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